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We ultimately decided not to participate yesterday when the trick or treaters were out and about in our neighborhood (yeah, we live in one of those places), but there were far more kids out than in previous years and we ended up regretting our decision not to buy a bunch of inexpensive Halloween party favors to give out. The kids were just too stinkin’ cute.

On a more positive note, I became a little weary of my clothes falling off of me and went shopping Saturday for new shirts and underwear; pants are problematic because I’m so short – Liz Claiborn is just about the only brand these days that makes jeans and slacks that fit me well and don’t look like they belong on a 17-year-old streetwalker (or my grandmother), and we didn’t want to drive an hour and a half to the outlet mall. At any rate, I am officially down 4 sizes since beginning our new way of eating. Boo-yah.

Anyhoo, it’s Halloween, so what better recipe to post than one that showcases pumpkin?

Variations of Pumpkin Sausage Soup have been floating around the internet for years; I’ve heard people say that it’s the next best thing to warm chocolate souffle with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, and I’ve heard people say it’s pretty “meh.” I’d never tried it myself, and since there are so many different recipes for it I decided I’d just wing it and make something that sounded good to me.

And boy, howdy – is it good. It’s not a terribly creamy soup, like the Curried Squash Soup I posted recently, but it is rich and hearty and VERY filling. Since I used hot Italian sausage as opposed to a sage-flavored one, I also seasoned it with basil, oregano and thyme; nor did I bother with any onion or other aromatics, since the sausage and herbs gave it more than enough flavor.

You can substitute fresh pumpkin with canned, if you prefer – 3 cups should suffice – but you’ll miss out on the lovely roasted sweetness cooking your own will impart. And, as always, you can use a turkey sausage if you wish to avoid pork.

Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise; scoop out the seeds and strings in the center and discard. Rub the cut side of the pumpkin with a little olive oil and place, cut side down, on a foil-covered, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the pumpkin in easily pierced with a fork. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Cook the sausage in a heavy skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula, until it is lightly browned and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside. Pour all but one cup of the chicken stock into a medium-sized stock pot and set over low heat. Scoop the pumpkin out of the shell and place it in a food processor with the reserved cup of chicken stock; process until it becomes a smooth puree.

Whisk the coconut milk or cream into the chicken stock, then stir in the pumpkin mixture and sausage; add the oregano, basil and thyme. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

This looks a lot like the butternut squash soup I had yesterday at Fresh Planet. (one of the few places which will go as natural as possible and lists all the ingredients for everything that we’ve found to be safe in our area)

Yum! PR would LOVE this!
BTW, I’m sure there are a zillion goulash recipes out there …
The one I made is an old recipe from my childhood. Pork, sauerkraut, green pepper, onion, sour cream (just a little), paprika, caraway seeds ….
Very autumn-ish. Even if it is summer here …

Have to try this. We planted a few squash plants thinking that the squash worms would kill most of them, and naturally they never appeared so we’ve been giving away squash to anyone who promised not to just throw it away….lol

[…] to wonder if there was anything I could do with those two particular ingredients besides making Pumpkin Sausage Soup. A quick Google search gave me the answer – besides soup, pumpkin and Italian sausage are […]